Shipyard

Managed ephemeral environments: a full-stack isolated copy of your app for every pull request.

Visit Website ↗ by Shipyard

What is Shipyard?

Shipyard automatically spins up a full-stack, isolated copy of your application — services, databases and real data snapshots — for every pull request, then tears it down when the PR closes. It transpiles your Docker Compose file into best-practice Kubernetes manifests and is built for the AI era: coding agents can manage environments through its MCP and CLI, and use the Playwright MCP for visual testing. Environments scale to zero when idle to cut pre-production cloud spend.

Key features

  • Automatic full-stack ephemeral environment per pull request
  • Docker Compose transpiled into Kubernetes manifests
  • Environments hydrated with fresh copies of real data, with snapshots
  • 100% agent-accessible via Shipyard MCP and CLI
  • Playwright MCP and CLI for visual testing and debugging
  • Scale-to-zero when idle and auto-delete on PR close
  • PR comments with access links on readiness
  • Deploy production workloads to your hosted GKE, EKS or AKS cluster

Pros

  • First-class AI agent access (MCP + CLI + Playwright) for autonomous testing loops
  • Scale-to-zero and auto-cleanup meaningfully reduce pre-production cloud spend
  • Docker Compose as the app definition means zero new config to learn

Cons

  • Premium pricing (from $500/mo) targets teams, not indie developers
  • Focused on preview environments rather than full production hosting
  • Teams report 30-62% pre-prod savings — mileage varies with workload shape

Shipyard at a glance

PricingPaid
CategoryCoding & Development
Platformsweb, api
CompanyShipyard
Official websiteshipyard.build
deploymentpreview-environmentsephemeral-environmentsdocker-composekubernetesai-agentsmcpci-cd

How to choose the right Coding & Development tool

The right coding tool depends on where you write code and how much of your codebase it can understand. IDE integration is the first filter — a tool that lives in your editor, sees your project files and respects your stack will help far more than a general chatbot you paste snippets into. Look for accurate completions, clear explanations of suggested changes, and strong refactoring and debugging support for your main languages. Privacy deserves real attention: check whether your code is used for training, and whether a self-hosted or enterprise option exists for sensitive projects. Price against the hours it actually saves — most developers feel the difference within the first week of real use.

Compare all Coding & Development tools →

Shipyard FAQs

What is Shipyard?

Shipyard automatically spins up a full-stack, isolated copy of your application — services, databases and real data snapshots — for every pull request, then tears it down when the PR closes. It transpiles your Docker Compose file into best-practice Kubernetes manifests and is built for the AI era: coding agents can manage environments through its MCP and CLI, and use the Playwright MCP for visual testing. Environments scale to zero when idle to cut pre-production cloud spend.

What are the main features of Shipyard?

Shipyard offers Automatic full-stack ephemeral environment per pull request, Docker Compose transpiled into Kubernetes manifests, Environments hydrated with fresh copies of real data, with snapshots, 100% agent-accessible via Shipyard MCP and CLI, Playwright MCP and CLI for visual testing and debugging, Scale-to-zero when idle and auto-delete on PR close, PR comments with access links on readiness and Deploy production workloads to your hosted GKE, EKS or AKS cluster.

How much does Shipyard cost?

Shipyard is a paid product. Prices and plans change over time, so check its official website for the current pricing before you buy.

What are the pros and cons of Shipyard?

Strengths of Shipyard include First-class AI agent access (MCP + CLI + Playwright) for autonomous testing loops; Scale-to-zero and auto-cleanup meaningfully reduce pre-production cloud spend; Docker Compose as the app definition means zero new config to learn. On the downside, Premium pricing (from $500/mo) targets teams, not indie developers; Focused on preview environments rather than full production hosting; Teams report 30-62% pre-prod savings — mileage varies with workload shape.